PSE Talon Recurve Review

Image	Bow Length	Draw Weight	Bow Weight	Takedown
PSE Talon See on Amazon.com	58" How to: choose arrows, draw weight, and tune your recurve	45, 50, 55 lbs.	~3 lbs.	Yes

A little something about PSE

One of the classic US manufacturers, PSE is definitely amongst the leaders on the market. The Arizona Company
holds a whole of twenty patents for bow, arrow and accessory designs, many of which shaped what archery is today.

Pete Shepley – the founder of the company – started in the distant 1970 with only an idea and today is the head of
the biggest US archery equipment manufacturer in the US. An engineer by heart, he is responsible for many of the
slick designs that got his company to the top.

So where does PSE put most of its resources? Of course, the materials and the manufacturing process are of high
quality, but the true virtue of the company lies in the designs. According to Pete, research and development is
the most important process and this is why he spends most of his time on coming up with more reliable and more
efficient designs. He was the first one to de-velop a plastic arrow vane that replaced feathers and perfected the
accuracy of the compound bow.

The takedown Talon – living up to the name?

Very simple by design, effective, light and easy to carry – what stands out in this bow can be seen even by an
amateur from the first look. One of the traditional recurve bows of the company, it looks like the perfect
choice for collectors who want to combine heritage with efficiency. The Talon can be described as a modern bow
in a vintage suit – with its 58’’ it is perfect for almost any body type, while the fiberglass core gives a stable
foundation and adequate endurance.

The technicalities

After taking several shots I was pleasantly surprised – I really didn’t expect such a vintage looking bow to be
so easy to handle, nor to shoot 2’’ groupings from 35 yards. It is important to mention here, that I am more of
a “traditional” archer, and this is why I found the riser very comfortable. It is more about fast shooting
and instinct, rather than manual aiming – that may turn out to be an obstacle for some.

As mentioned above, the core is fiberglass and with maple laminate on both sides – the coat of fiberglass is over
the maple. This makes the whole thing quite smooth and light, not to mention that the limbs are almost impossible
to twist. Their tips are finished with Mycarta, which definitely adds to the overall outlook, as well as to the
handling of the bow.

Last but not least, are the block-cut Zebra wood handle, which is one of the most comfortable I have stumbled upon (at least for that type of bows) and the Angel Majesty bow string. Frankly, O think it is the usual choice for
such bows and I don’t think it deserves a lot of attention.

Accuracy or power?

With draw weights between 40# and 50# (I used 50#), it was definitely powerful enough to hit a three inch
target from 15 yards. Of course, the 40# draw weight allows for more accuracy, but since it is a traditional
bow I think that power is more important than accuracy (unless you are hunting something really small). This
strong 50# pull performed very well in windy weather and my groupings were in a 3’’ radius on the second day I
tried it out. As I mentioned, for me the bow is very intuitive as– a novice archer will probably need several days before easing into it.

Is it a classic bow?

Well, both the name and the picture speak for themselves – the Talon is definitely a classic bow. And by classic
I mean traditional – it resembles the old Indian bows which were used for hunting, combining accuracy and strength to increase the type of game that can be hunted. The maple wood on the limbs gives one of the strongest impressions for something vintage, despite the fine fiberglass core. Another visual element that hides the modern nature is the design of the handle, which is very simplistic – it looks like a mere piece of wood that is carved to fit the grip of a human hand.

Is it good for hunting?

With a draw weight range up to 55# you can definitely try it out for hunting regardless of whether you want to go after smaller or larger game.

The arrows you can use

The sturdy nature of the bow definitely has its say here – you can use a very wide variety of arrows, even though
I would avoid plastic vanes. Not that they will impede the accuracy, but they may scratch the smooth surface,
which even though won’t cause technical harm will disrupt the smooth surface. Make sure to read our guide to choosing arrows for more help on this.

Final Thoughts

Even though the bow has a lot of virtues, I was most impressed with the price; it makes it a perfect choice for beginners, especially ones with lower budgets. The fact that it is intuitive and without many modern additions may seem like a con for novice archers, but this is exactly where they are wrong – once you get used to this kind of bow, the handling of other types becomes very easy. Take a look at Today's Amazon.com price on the PSE Talon if you’re interested.